Secrets to baking apple pies

Nov 10, 2007 - 08:33 AM PST

Maybe I should call this The Secret Lives of Apple Pies; my book editor always adds subtitles like that. Anyway, when I'm not writing, playing or watching sports, or goofing around, I tend to like to bake pies. A lot of readers, knowing this nugget, have asked me for tips. So here goes:

* Bake from scratch. That's the Robbins way. It always tastes best.

* Use a food processor instead of a mixer to mix the dough. It's so easy, and you know the dough's ready just before it congeals into a ball.

* Use an Apple Master. I am a pie-making machine with this thing. It's an inexpensive device that peels, cores, and slices apples as you crank it. Super-easy. Less than 20 bucks.

* Experiment with types of apples. Most of my friends prefer me to use all Granny Smith apples, but you can get different results by mixing sweet and sour apples (like Fuji and Granny Smith, for instance).

The following tips were handed down by my Grandma, Rachel. She was an incredible baker. I miss her every day.

* Bake the pie in the lower third of the oven.

* Chill flour for a flakier crust.

* Brush the inside of the unbaked crust with beaten eggwhite and let it dry five minutes before filling and baking.

* For a shiny top crust, brush it with a whole egg or with a yolk and a little oil.

* For crisp crust without shine, brush it with a little bit of thin cream and sprinkle with sugar.

If you're worried about calories, save a few slices for yourself and give away the rest. (The students I followed for The Overachievers benefited from this habit of mine.)